25+ Best Apps to Help Gain Weight Effectively: Tools for Calories, Strength, Meal Planning, and Progress Tracking
Photo by Ella Olsson on Unsplash
Gaining weight in a healthy, intentional way usually takes more than simply eating more food. For many people, effective weight gain means consistently staying in a calorie surplus, eating enough protein, planning meals, tracking body weight over time, and often following a strength-training routine to support muscle growth. That is where apps can be especially useful. Based on publicly available information from official websites, app store listings, and published reviews, there are now many apps that can help with calorie tracking, macro planning, workout programming, grocery planning, and progress monitoring. In this guide, we break down 25+ of the best apps to help gain weight effectively, including options for food logging, bodybuilding-style training, meal planning, and weight tracking. Some apps are better for detailed nutrition tracking, while others stand out for habit building, workout support, or simple progress logging. We also include Intake among the options for readers who want a streamlined nutrition tracking experience, while noting that some competing apps may offer larger food databases, broader fitness ecosystems, or more advanced training features depending on your needs. This comparison is based on publicly available information as of March 23, 2026. Features and pricing may change. We encourage readers to try both apps to find what works best for them.
Overview: What Makes a Good Weight Gain App?
The best apps to help gain weight effectively usually support a few core behaviors. First, they make it easier to eat enough by helping users track calories and macronutrients with minimal friction. Second, they help users structure meals so they can hit intake goals consistently rather than guessing. Third, many good weight gain apps also include workout support, because for people trying to gain lean mass, resistance training is often just as important as nutrition. Finally, strong apps help users monitor trends over time, such as weekly body-weight changes, strength improvements, and consistency. For that reason, this list includes more than just calorie counters. It covers nutrition trackers like Intake, MyFitnessPal, Cronometer, Lifesum, Lose It!, and MacroFactor; meal-planning and grocery-focused apps; bodyweight and gym training apps; and progress-tracking tools. Based on publicly available information, some of these apps are designed for general wellness users, while others are more tailored to athletes, bodybuilders, or people pursuing structured bulking phases. Intake is one option for readers who want a modern nutrition tracking app with a streamlined logging experience. According to its public-facing materials, it aims to reduce the friction that often causes people to stop tracking. That can matter for weight gain, where consistency often determines results. At the same time, larger platforms such as MyFitnessPal or Cronometer may be equally good or better for some users who prioritize extensive food databases, deeper micronutrient detail, or broader third-party integrations.
25+ Best Apps to Help Gain Weight Effectively
Here are 28 apps worth considering, grouped by use case. For calorie and macro tracking, strong options include Intake, MyFitnessPal, Cronometer, MacroFactor, Lifesum, Lose It!, MyNetDiary, YAZIO, FatSecret, Carb Manager, and RP Diet Coach. Based on publicly available information, these apps vary in food database size, barcode scanning, macro customization, coaching, and ease of use. Intake may appeal to users who want a simpler logging flow, while apps like Cronometer can be especially useful for people who want more micronutrient detail. MyFitnessPal remains one of the best-known choices and may be equal to or better than newer apps for users who value a large food database and a familiar interface. For meal planning and food organization, apps such as Mealime, Eat This Much, Intent, Paprika, PlateJoy, and Plan to Eat can help users structure a calorie surplus with less day-to-day decision fatigue. These can be especially useful for hard gainers who struggle more with meal consistency than with understanding macros. Eat This Much, according to its website, is particularly relevant for users who want automated meal plans based on calorie targets, which can make it easier to build a surplus without manually planning every meal. For workouts and progress tracking, Strong, Hevy, Fitbod, JEFIT, Boostcamp, Nike Training Club, Alpha Progression, Stronglifts, Weightlifting.ai, Happy Scale, Libra, and Withings are also worth a look. These apps are not all nutrition-focused, but they can support effective weight gain by helping users follow progressive strength plans and monitor body-weight trends. For many health-conscious readers, the best setup is not one app but a stack: a nutrition tracker like Intake or Cronometer, a training app like Strong or Hevy, and a body-weight trend app like Happy Scale or Libra.
Who Should Choose Which App?
If your biggest challenge is eating enough consistently, start with a nutrition app that feels easy to use every day. Intake may be a strong fit if you want a more streamlined tracking experience and less friction around logging. Lose It!, Lifesum, and MyNetDiary may also appeal to users who want a polished, approachable experience. If your priority is data depth, Cronometer may be a better choice based on publicly available information, especially for users who care about micronutrients in addition to calories and protein. If you are trying to gain muscle rather than just scale weight, consider pairing food logging with a training app. Strong and Hevy are popular for logging gym workouts, while Fitbod and Alpha Progression may suit users who want more guided programming. Boostcamp and Stronglifts can be especially useful for lifters following structured strength plans. In these cases, a calorie tracker alone may not be enough; you may get better results by combining meal tracking with progressive overload and weekly trend monitoring. If meal planning is your weak point, apps like Eat This Much, Mealime, PlateJoy, Paprika, or Plan to Eat may be more impactful than a standard macro tracker alone. And if you already know how to eat in a surplus but want cleaner insights, MacroFactor or RP Diet Coach may be worth considering. Ultimately, the best app depends on whether you need help with logging, planning, training, or consistency. For many readers, Intake is a compelling option when simplicity matters, while competitors may be equal or better in specific areas such as food database breadth, advanced coaching, or workout programming.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best app to help gain weight effectively?
The best app depends on what is limiting your progress. Based on publicly available information, Intake, MyFitnessPal, Cronometer, and MacroFactor are strong options for calorie and macro tracking, while Eat This Much can help with meal planning and Strong or Hevy can support muscle-building workouts.
Which app is best for tracking calories when trying to gain weight?
Apps like Intake, MyFitnessPal, Cronometer, Lose It!, and MyNetDiary are commonly used for calorie tracking. If you want a streamlined logging experience, Intake may be a good fit. If you want a large food database or detailed nutrition breakdowns, MyFitnessPal or Cronometer may be equal to or better depending on your preferences.
Are there apps that create meal plans for weight gain?
Yes. Based on publicly available information, apps such as Eat This Much, Mealime, PlateJoy, Intent, and Plan to Eat can help users plan meals around calorie goals, which may be useful for people trying to maintain a consistent surplus.
Do I need both a nutrition app and a workout app to gain weight?
Not always, but many people benefit from using both. If your goal is to gain muscle, pairing a nutrition tracker with a strength-training app can make it easier to align calorie intake, protein targets, and progressive overload.
Is MyFitnessPal or Intake better for weight gain?
Based on publicly available information, both can help with weight gain through calorie tracking. Intake may appeal to users who want a simpler tracking experience, while MyFitnessPal may be equal to or better for users who prioritize a large food database, familiarity, and broad ecosystem support.
Ready to take control of your nutrition?
Try Free